Component placement within a solid state drive

ABSTRACT

A component mount for a data storage device (DSD). The component mount includes a flexible member or printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) including a pad for electrically connecting to a printed circuit board (PCB) of the DSD. At least one capacitor is mounted on the flexible member or PCBA, and is electrically connected with the pad.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/832,707, filed on Jun. 7, 2013, which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Solid state drives (SSD) require a backup power source to ensure thatdata can be safely written to cache and the SSD gracefully shuts downwhen the main power source becomes unavailable. SSDs often utilize acapacitor farm to provide backup power. Thus, a series of capacitors areoften arranged on the same printed circuit board (PCB) as the flashmemory. However, the capacitors required to provide sufficient backuppower may occupy more space than is available on the PCB or may betaller than the other components and therefore require the PCB to beplaced deeper within the drive enclosure to ensure the capacitors do notextend beyond the enclosure. This reduces the vertical space availableon the side of the PCB opposite the capacitors.

Larger SSD enclosures, such as those having a 15 mm z-height, may not beimpacted by the heights of the capacitors, which may be 4 mm. However,in smaller device sizes, such as 7 mm z-height, the heights of thecapacitors occupy a larger portion of the available z-height. Replacingthe tall capacitors with an increased number of shorter capacitorspresents challenges to layout design. In addition, PCBs commonly used inSSDs cannot support capacitors mounted on both sides.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosurewill become more apparent from the detailed description set forth belowwhen taken in conjunction with the drawings. The drawings and theassociated descriptions are provided to illustrate embodiments of thedisclosure and not to limit the scope of what is claimed.

FIG. 1A depicts a side view of an SSD case and components according toone implementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 1B depicts a close up view of FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2A depicts a printed circuit board (PCB) layout according to oneimplementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2B depicts a profile view of FIG. 2A;

FIG. 3A depicts a component mount layout according to one implementationof the present disclosure;

FIG. 3B depicts the component mount of FIG. 3A according to oneimplementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3C depicts a close up view of a portion of the layout in FIG. 3A;

FIG. 3D depicts a close up view of connectors for the component mount ofFIG. 3A according to one implementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3E depicts an alternate view of the connectors shown in FIG. 3D;

FIG. 4A depicts a component mount layout according to one implementationof the present disclosure;

FIG. 4B depicts the component mount of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4C depicts a close up view of connectors for the component mount ofFIG. 4A;

FIG. 4D depicts an alternate view of the connectors shown in FIG. 4C;

FIG. 4E depicts the component mount layout of FIG. 4A according toanother implementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4F depicts the component mount of FIG. 4E;

FIG. 4G depicts a close up view of connectors for the component mount ofFIG. 4E;

FIG. 4H depicts an alternate view of the connectors shown in FIG. 4G;

FIG. 5A depicts a component mount layout according to one implementationof the present disclosure;

FIG. 5B depicts the component mount of FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6 depicts a component mount according to one implementation of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 7A depicts a component mount in an SSD case according to oneimplementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7B depicts an alternate view of the SSD case of FIG. 7A;

FIG. 8A depicts a component mount according to one implementation of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 8B depicts a side view of the component mount of FIG. 8A within anSSD case according to one implementation of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8C depicts an alternate view of the SSD case of FIG. 8B;

FIG. 9A depicts compression connectors according to one implementationof the present disclosure;

FIG. 9B depicts the compression connector of FIG. 9A coupled to acomponent mount according to one implementation of the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 9C depicts the compression connector of FIG. 9A disposed on acomponent mount according to another implementation of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are setforth to provide a full understanding of the present disclosure. It willbe apparent, however, to one of ordinary skill in the art that thevarious implementations disclosed may be practiced without some of thesespecific details. In other instances, well-known structures andtechniques have not been shown in detail to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring the various implementations.

Although the present disclosure discusses SSDs having a 7 mm profile, inother implementations other device profiles may be used, such as 15 mm.In addition, the concepts described below may be applied to any datastorage device (DSD), such as hard disk drives (HDD) and solid statehybrid drives (SSHD). FIG. 1A presents an example SSD 100 having a 7 mmprofile. The entire package, including the covers, has a height of 7 mm.However, due to the thicknesses of parts, less than 7 mm of z-height areavailable within the SSD case. For example, an area 105 of the SSD 100may be where capacitors are generally mounted. Due to components, suchas a PCB 110 (see FIG. 1B), the full z-height is not available forcapacitors. In addition, the PCB 110 is suspended, such that theavailable z-height is separated into two smaller z-heights. FIG. 1Bshows a close up of the z-heights near the flash memory 130. In otherexamples, the z-height of the SSD 100 may be different (e.g., 5 mm).

FIG. 1B presents an exemplary SSD layout, which will be discussed withrespect to a 7 mm profile. In other implementations other deviceprofiles and components with different z-heights may be used. In FIG.1B, a product label 101 has a thickness of about 0.074 mm, a cover 102has a thickness of about 1 mm, and a base casting 103 also has athickness of about 1 mm near the flash memory 130. The PCB 110, on whichthe flash memory 130 and a system-on-chip (SOC) 120 are mounted, has athickness of about 1 mm. Thus, only about 2 mm above the PCB 110 andonly about 2 mm below the PCB 110 are available. In other words,components mounted on either side of the PCB 110, such as near the area105, must be less than 2 mm in height in order to fit. Also in FIG. 1B,a thermal interface material (TIM) may have a z-height, which isaccounted for by having a thinner base. Other materials, such as a shockabsorbing layer on the base, may further restrict or limit availablez-height.

In this exemplary configuration, approximately 0.325 J of energy may berequired to provide adequate backup power. Other implementations mayrequire different energy amounts. Backup capacitors can store therequired energy. As seen in FIG. 1A, components are mounted on the PCB110. In this configuration, components, such as backup capacitors,having a z-height greater than 2 mm cannot be easily mounted onto thePCB 110. Large capacitors are about 3 mm in z-height, whereas most otherinternal components in an SSD average 1 to 1.5 mm in z-height. In otherwords, the placement of the PCB 110 is generally dictated by thez-height of the capacitors.

FIG. 2A presents a layout using a component mount according to oneimplementation. The controller, such as the SOC 120, and the flashmemory, such as the flash memory 130, are mounted on a PCB 210. Backupcapacitors and/or other components are mounted on a component mount 220in order to avoid the z-height restrictions when mounting components onthe PCB 210, as the component mount 220 may be mounted at a differentz-height than the PCB 210. This provides additional design freedom. Thecomponent mount 220 may comprise a flexible member (flexure or flex),which may be 0.1-0.2 mm thick to free up addition z-height, or a printedcircuit board assembly (PCBA), which may be thinner than the PCB 210.The components may be mounted on one or both sides of the flex or PCBA,as will be discussed below. This z-height optimization also achieveshigher energy density by allowing larger capacity capacitors to bemounted using the minimum amount of space on the flex or PCBA.

FIG. 2B illustrates the additional z-height available through the use ofthe component mount 220, rather than mounting all the components on thePCB. For example, the flex may have a thickness of about 0.2 mm, and acover 202 and a base 203 may each have about 0.7 mm thickness, leavingaround 5.4 mm of z-height in a 7 mm profile SSD. In contrast to FIG. 1B,where 2 mm was a maximum height of components, in FIG. 2B, tallercomponents may be mounted. A capacitor 221 can have a z-height of 3 mm,and a capacitor 222 can have a z-height of 2 mm, leaving about 0.4 mm ofclearance (i.e., 0.2 mm of clearance for each of capacitors 221 and222). As seen in FIG. 2B, the flex need not be generally centered withrespect to z-height. Also seen in FIG. 2B, a shock isolator or shockabsorbing layer 204 may be disposed on the cover 202 and the base 203.The shock absorbing layer 204 may be made of a shock absorbing material,which may be affixed to the cover 202 and the base 203 with an adhesivebacking. When the SSD 200 is assembled, the shock absorbing layers 204may squeeze the components within the SSD 200 together, to better absorbshock and to prevent the components from vibrating.

FIG. 3A depicts an SSD 300 having one implementation of a componentmount 310. A PCB 305 occupies a first portion 302 of an area within theSSD 300. The PCB 305 includes a notch 308. The placement of the notch308 may allow room for additional capacitors. The component mount 310occupies a second portion 303 of the area. Because the component mount310 and the PCB 305 do not generally overlap, there is greaterflexibility in adjusting the z-height of the component mount 310 withoutneeding to adjust the z-height of the PCB 305.

As seen in FIG. 3B, the component mount 310 comprises a main portion 312having a plurality of capacitors 320 mounted on both sides. The mainportion 312 may be a flex or a PCB, and includes one or more holes 319for mounting with screws, as seen in FIG. 3C. The main portion 312includes an alignment feature 317 to help align the component mount 310when mounting onto the SSD 300. As seen in FIG. 3C, the alignmentfeature 317 is a hole with two squared corners that aligns the componentmount 310 when dropped over a similarly shaped screw mount in a basecasting. In other implementations the alignment feature 317 may havealternative shapes having a distinguishable orientation in order toalign the component mount 310. The main portion 312 further includespads 315 for ground and power connections as well as other electricalconnections for the capacitors 320 and may comprise a shaped layer ofconductive material.

FIG. 3B illustrates an “inline” implementation of the component mount310. An extension portion 316, having the pads 315, extends straight outfrom a main portion of the component mount 310 and “inline” with thecapacitors 320. A capacitor 320 is oriented perpendicular to the othercapacitors 320, forming a protrusion 318 corresponding to the notch 308.The protruding capacitor 320 allows for room for the extension portion316 to align with connectors on the PCB 305. In FIGS. 3D and 3E, thepads 315 contact compression connectors 350. The compression connectors350 may be used for ground, power, or other electrical connections. Anadhesive 322 may be on the underside of at least a portion of thecomponent mount 310. In FIG. 3D, the adhesive 322 covers the entireunderside of the extension portion 316. The adhesive 322 may be a doublesided pressure sensitive adhesive, which provides adhesion when thecomponent mount 310 is pressed against a base or other component underthe component mount 310. In other implementations, the adhesive 322 maybe any other appropriate adhesive, such as glue. Moreover, the adhesive322 may cover other portions of the component mount 310.

FIGS. 9A-9C further illustrate compression connectors 950. Eachcompression connector 950 has a contact 952, which may be a conductivecantilever. In FIG. 9B, the compression connector 950 is mounted on aPCB 920. A component mount 912 aligns with the compression connector 950such that the contact 952 touches the pads 915. Pressure against thecomponent mount 912 compresses the contact 952 to ensure a stableconnection that will not be dislodged from vibration or other mechanicalstresses. Alternatively, in FIG. 9C, the compression connector 950 maybe placed on the component mount 912, to connect to pads 921 on the PCB920. This allows for a more controlled device assembly process.

Turning to FIGS. 4A-4D, an SSD 400 includes another implementation of acomponent mount 410. A PCB 405 occupies a first area 402 and thecomponent mount 410 occupies a second area 403, which allows independentz-heights of the PCB 405 and the component mount 410. The PCB 405includes a notch 408, which may be smaller than the notch 308, providingmore space on the PCB 405. The component mount 410 has a plurality ofcapacitors 420 mounted on a main portion 412. The main portion 412 maybe a flex or a PCB, and has holes 419, pads 415 on an extension portion416, and an alignment feature 417, similar to the component mount 310.However, the main portion 412 has a “side wing” configuration ratherthan an “inline” configuration.

As seen in FIG. 4B, the main portion 412 first extends laterally fromthe length of the main portion 412 at a protrusion 418. The protrusion418 may have one or more bends such that the main portion 412 is foldedaround or under the notch 408 in the PCB 405. The main portion 412 thenextends parallel to the length, ending in the extension portion 416having the pads 415 and the alignment feature 417. The extension portion416 may be tucked under the PCB 405, with clearance between theprotrusion 418 and the PCB 405 to prevent contact, such as rubbing.Contact between the PCB 405 and the protrusion 418 may damage either,for example by damaging traces or other connections.

As seen in FIGS. 4C and 4D, the pads 415 are arranged to contactcompression connectors 450. The side wing design may provide moreoptions for connections and trace layouts as specific components can beseparately connected from the other components by shifting the side wingcloser to the specific components. The side wing may also providestructural support. In addition, the side wing provides flexibility inarranging components with respect to the PCB 405 and the notch 408. Byhaving a larger extension portion 416, more space on the main portion412 may be available for mounting components. FIG. 4D further shows anadhesive 422, which may be a pressure sensitive adhesive.

FIGS. 4E-4H depict a variation on the component mount 410. Compared toFIGS. 4A-4D, in FIGS. 4E-4H, the protrusion 418 has a different shape,slanting out along the length of the main portion 412 and having bendsbefore ending at the extension portion 416. The notch 408 accordinglyhas a similarly slanting shape to accommodate the protrusion 418. Inother implementations the protrusion 418 may take other shapes asneeded, and may correspond to the notch 408 having a different shape tomaximize board space on the PCB 405.

FIG. 5A illustrates an SSD 500 having a component mount 510 according toanother implementation. A PCB 505 occupies a first portion 502 and thecomponent mount 510 occupies a second portion 503, allowing the PCB 505and the component mount 510 to have independent z-heights. In FIG. 5B,the component mount 510 comprises a plurality of capacitors 520 mountedon a main portion 512. The main portion 512 further includes holes 519and extends to an extension portion 516 having an alignment feature 517near pads 515. FIG. 5B illustrates a “compact” design. Because there isno protrusions in the component mount 510, the PCB 505 does not need acorresponding notch, which frees more space on the PCB 505. Theextension portion 516 holding the pads 515 has a smaller footprint. Inaddition, the alignment feature 517 is closer to the capacitors 520 thanin the inline or side wing designs.

FIG. 6 presents yet another implementation of a component mount 600.Unlike the component mounts 310, 410, and 510, the component mount 600has a plurality of capacitors 620 mounted on a top side andlongitudinally arranged near the holes in the flex, and capacitors 620perpendicular to the longitudinally arranged capacitors 620. Thecomponent mount 600 also includes a plurality of capacitors 630 mountedon a bottom side. An extension portion 616 extends perpendicular to amain portion of the component mount 600. This configuration, in whichthe extension portion 616 lacks a true alignment feature, may allow formore densely packed capacitors 620.

To mount even taller components, components may be mounted on only oneside of the component mount, which may be a flex or PCBA. FIGS. 7A and7B depict capacitors 720 having a z-height of about 4-5 mm mounted onone side of a PCB 712. The PCB may be thin, having a thickness of around0.2 mm. The PCB 712 may also provide mechanical stability for thecapacitors 720, in particular because of the taller z-heights of thecapacitors 720.

The additional z-height available through the use of a component mountcan be utilized in various other ways. For example, rather than a thinflex, a thicker PCBA may be used. Components can be mounted on only oneside of the flex or PCBA or mounted on both sides, allowing for twolevels of components. Additional levels may be added to meet therequirements of the SSD.

FIG. 8A illustrates another implementation of a component mount 810. Thecomponent mount 810 comprises a plurality of capacitors 820 arranged ina “snake” or serpentine fashion on a flex 812. The capacitors 820 may bemounted on either side of the flex 812, and disposed horizontally. Anoptional protective wrap 805 may envelope the component mount 810 toprovided additional protection as well as help maintain the serpentineshape of the flex 812.

FIG. 8B illustrates the alternating pattern of the flex 812 andcapacitor 820 in a serpentine arrangement from a side view. FIG. 8Cdepicts the component mount 810 mounted in an SSD, next to flash memory860. The component mount 810 forms a block which can fit into acorresponding cavity in the SSD, as seen in FIG. 8C. In addition,because the capacitors 820 may be disposed on their sides, theserpentine arrangement of the component mount 810 may provide a compactarrangement of similarly sized rectangular components to achieve higherenergy density.

The foregoing description of the disclosed example implementations isprovided to enable any person of ordinary skill in the art to make oruse the implementations in the present disclosure. Various modificationsto these examples will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill inthe art, and the principles disclosed herein may be applied to otherexamples without departing from the spirit or scope of the presentdisclosure. The described implementations are to be considered in allrespects only as illustrative and not restrictive and the scope of thedisclosure is, therefore, indicated by the following claims rather thanby the foregoing description. All changes which come within the meaningand range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within theirscope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A component mount for a data storage device (DSD)comprising: a flexible member including a top side, a bottom side, amain portion, an extension portion extending from the main portion, anda pad for electrically connecting to a printed circuit board (PCB) ofthe DSD, wherein: the pad is disposed on the extension portion, theextension portion includes a hole for alignment of the component mount,and the hole includes a non-circular portion; and a capacitor disposedon the top side of the flexible member and electrically connected withthe pad.
 2. The component mount of claim 1, wherein the extensionportion extends longitudinally from the main portion.
 3. The componentmount of claim 2, wherein the pad is located adjacent a length of themain portion such that the pad is adjacent the capacitor.
 4. Thecomponent mount of claim 1, wherein the main portion includes a hole forsecuring the component mount.
 5. The component mount of claim 1, furthercomprising a second capacitor disposed on the bottom side of theflexible member.
 6. The component mount of claim 1, further comprising acompression connector on the flexible member.
 7. The component mount ofclaim 1, further comprising a pressure sensitive adhesive on the bottomside of the flexible member.
 8. A data storage device (DSD) comprising:a base casting defining an area having a first portion and a secondportion; a printed circuit board (PCB) disposed within the base castingand occupying the first portion of the area; and a component mountdisposed within the base casting, occupying the second portion of thearea, the component mount comprising: a main portion; an extensionportion connected to the main portion and including a pad forelectrically connecting to the PCB; and a capacitor disposed on the mainportion and electrically connected with the pad.
 9. The DSD of claim 8,wherein the main portion comprises a flexible member.
 10. The DSD ofclaim 8, wherein the main portion comprises a printed circuit boardassembly (PCBA).
 11. The DSD of claim 8, wherein the PCB includes atleast one component mounted on the PCB such that the PCB with thecomponent mounted thereon has a first height within the base casting,and wherein the component mount has a second height within the basecasting that is substantially equal to the first height.
 12. The DSD ofclaim 8, wherein the capacitor is disposed on a top side of the mainportion and a second capacitor is disposed on a bottom side of the mainportion.
 13. The DSD of claim 8, wherein the main portion furthercomprises a hole, the hole located near a corner of the base casting foraligning the component mount within the base casting.
 14. The DSD ofclaim 8, further comprising a compression connector under the PCB andconfigured to contact the pad to electrically connect the pad to thePCB.
 15. The DSD of claim 8, further comprising a compression connectorover the pad of the extension portion and configured to contact the PCBto electrically connect the pad to the PCB.
 16. The DSD of claim 8,wherein the component mount further comprises a pressure sensitiveadhesive for connecting to the base casting.
 17. The DSD of claim 8,wherein the base casting further comprises a shock absorbing layer.